CDP Joins Protect the Protest Coalition

Climate Defense Project has joined a coalition of nonprofits and legal groups called Protect the Protest. The coalition, which launched today, is dedicated to the legal defense of individuals and groups facing SLAPPs, or strategic lawsuits against public participation. SLAPPs are used by business groups, wealthy individuals, and others to silence critics and discourage constitutionally protected speech, including speech that draws attention to environmental and human rights abuses.

Among the individuals and groups currently or formerly represented by members of the coalition are Greenpeace, which is currently facing a lawsuit by Energy Transfer Partners stemming from its involvement in the Standing Rock protests in 2016 and 2017; Black Belt Citizens Fighting for Health and Justice, a community organization in Uniontown, Alabama fighting against environmental and racial injustice; and the International Federation of Human Rights, a group that has reported on alleged forced labor practices.

More information about Protect the Protest, including a list of its members, can be found on the coalition’s website. The New York Times ran a story about the coalition, which can be found here.